


Endless Layers

by SenaGune



Category: Magic Kaito, Persona 5, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Gen, Not Beta Read, characters will be added as they pop up, the most ambitious thing ive planned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-23 14:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30056634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenaGune/pseuds/SenaGune
Summary: With the psychotic breakdown incidents sweeping Tokyo into a frenzy, Conan finds himself right in the middle of the investigation. And when the Change of Hearts incidents start, he just can't help his curiosity.After all, any detective worth his salt can never turn away from a challenge from the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is going to cover Royal, and will contain Royal spoilers further down the fic. While there's nothing groundbreaking yet, you should at least know the plot and the endgame of vanilla. With that aside, this is what my brain has been cooking up for the past few weeks because I've plunged myself too far into the world of P5. I do hope you enjoy it!

> **@NipponNews**
> 
> BREAKING: Train crash in Shibuya Station, 68 injured and counting **nipponnews.jp/6bdK93s**

> **@NHK_News**
> 
> Subway train derailment in Shibuya Station at 6PM, 75 injured, authorities investigating **nhk.jp/hhd7Kh4D**

> **@BuzzFeedNewsJP**
> 
> Shibuya Station train derailment latest in series of #MentalBreakdown incidents, police investigation underway **buzzfeednews.jp/ds8JUdw7**

* * *

**Train Crash in Shibuya Station; 87 Injured; Newest Addition to Recent Mental Breakdown Incidents**

**BuzzFeed News Japan**  
**Author:** Takayama Minami  
**Uploaded:** 20 minutes ago (last updated 8 minutes ago)

Earlier this evening at approximately 6:34PM, a railway train derailed and crashed at Platform A of Shibuya Station, leaving a total of 87 injured. Among the 87 injured, 3 are in critical condition in the ICU. 

While police investigations are still ongoing, initial testimonies from the train operator have turned up little results as he cited no memories regarding the derailment of the train. This is similar to recent incidents happening in Tokyo, where people go through mental breakdowns and have little to no memory of what happened, leading to speculation that this train crash incident is its newest inclusion. 

Additionally, the Ministry of Transport is under fire from online criticism due to this incident, as rumours spread online that train engineers have detected errors in the train tracks from as far back as six months ago, with no follow up to fixing the problem. 

The Ministry of Transport has not yet issued a statement.

* * *

Conan’s frown grows deeper as he scrolls further down on his phone, his Twitter timeline flooded with news articles and reactionary tweets about the train incident. It is all a bit of a mess, to say the least. The rumours about the early detection of problems on the train tracks, while seemingly damning, are still rumours; Conan could not find a single reputable source for the information, nor could he find the origins of the rumours. It's almost as though someone had deliberately spread the rumours just for the public to attack the Ministry; he wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. Conan may not be a big fan of politics, but even he knows that there will always be people trying to take down others and gain positions of favour and power, especially in the government where power play is everything. 

The way that the incident occurred is a concern too; the fact that it shares similarities to other "mental breakdown" incidents makes Conan want to tear his hair out in frustration. There is no clear motive, no cause, and no link between each incident other than the fact that they were each caused by someone who went through a "mental breakdown", as the media labels them. For all they knew, some of these incidents could have been intentionally caused by others who jumped onto the bandwagon of claiming they had a mental breakdown in order to get away scot-free. But that was already proven not the case through the investigations held by the police; Conan had discreetly asked Takagi early on about the incidents, and the officer had admitted that they couldn't find a clear cause, nor did they find that the "culprits" were lying. 

The increase in incidents and the continued lack of evidence and cause is only growing his urge to do something about it, yet the only thing he _can_ do is twiddle his thumbs and hope for a connection between the cases, because a lack of links between each case means a near lack of leads. He’s even gone to Haibara about it, on the off-chance that this might be the work of the Black Organisation. Testing new drugs on the public perhaps, his mind had suggested. But Haibara had taken one look at him and said that it was unlikely; the execution too flashy for the Organisation’s style, too much attention on the incidents. “The Black Organisation,” she had smiled wryly, “likes to stick to the dark.”

Once is chance, twice is coincidence, and now? It’s clearly a pattern. The numbers are rising, and Conan knows that there will only be more to come, with no way of stopping it.

* * *

He cracks a devious smile as he feels the blue flames run through his body; a surging power fills him, leaving him breathless yet wanting for more and more and _more_. 

_"Arséne!"_

He can take on the world with his Persona, and he can definitely take on the shrivelling, disgusting mess of a man in front of him. 

He locks eyes with the beady yellow ones of the disgraceful Shadow and notices how he flinches. His grin widens. 

Let the show begin. 

* * *

The next week, Shujin Academy is in a whirlpool of chaos as students flock near the billboard, where red and black cards are plastered all over. A gaudy image of a tophat is printed on the front, while the other side holds a bold accusation that will leave the student body chattering on end for days. 

**_Kamoshida Suguru, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready._ **

**_From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ **

And so, the stage is set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's not very long but later chapters WILL be longer. i just wanted to put a little preview out (sort of). i hope you've liked this. if my brain works well enough hopefully i can push the next chapter out by this week. hmu on twitter at [hakubatime](https://twitter.com/hakubatime) if u wanna chat ok bye


	2. The Calling Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conan has a conversation with Hattori.

>   
>  **HH:** oi kudo  
>  **HH:** oi  
>  **HH:** wake up  
>  **HH:** acknowledge my existence or i’ll tell neechan conan-kun being mean to poor heiji-niichan :’(  
>  **HH:** and you know how that’ll go :D  
>  **EC:** Hattori, it is 7 in the morning.  
>  **EC:** On a Sunday.  
>  **EC:** Why are you texting me at 7 in the morning on a Sunday.  
>  **HH:** good morning sleeping beautyヾ(＾∇＾)  
>  **HH:** take a look at this!  
>  **HH:** tinyurl.com/sw2JJ0f  
>  **EC:** Why is it a tinyurl link? Is this going to be another random screaming YouTube video? The last time I trusted you with something like this I got kicked out of the room by Occhan, you know.  
>  **EC:** If Ran-neechan hears about Heiji-niichan being mean to me, I don’t know what will happen to you. :(  
>  **HH:** harsh.  
>  **HH:** anyways, i think this will definitely interest you, esp since they might be connected to those "mental breakdown" incidents in tokyo  
>  **HH:** buzzfeed.jp/article/rise-of-phantom-thieves  
>  **EC:** This is almost as bad as the tinyurl link; you’re sending me an article from BuzzFeed and it’s not even from their news site. And phantom thieves? Plural? I think I’ve had enough for a lifetime  
>  **HH:** but you ARE interested, right?  
>  **HH:** _へ__(‾◡◝ )>  
>  **EC:** ...Yes.  
>  **EC:** I am now going to ponder over this over my secret coffee stash since Poirot isn't open yet because IT'S 7 IN THE MORNING ON A SUNDAY.  
> 

Conan rubs his eyes with one hand and swipes away Hattori’s reply of _u r going to get a caffeine-induced heart attack one day_ with the other, tapping on the article link in a swift motion. _This better be worth waking up at seven in the morning for,_ he thinks as he gives the article an experimental swipe. He eyes Kogoro for a brief moment (still snoring away blissfully unaware of Conan's awakening, thankfully), and slowly toes his way out of the futon. He stifles a yawn ( _god, it's too early for this_ ) and gently turns the door handle with just enough pressure that it barely squeaks — he's snuck out enough times that he knows how to not get caught.

He keeps his secret coffee stash in the cupboard below the kitchen washbasin; Ran never checks it since she never puts anything there, so his instant coffee packets sit there peacefully, undisturbed until Conan needs his caffeine fix. They were small enough to scurry away into his pockets for later disposal (of evidence). It's not the best coffee, but he'll take whatever caffeine he can get as a seven-year-old. 

A quick shuffle to the kitchen later, he has a steaming cup of black coffee (with no sugar or milk — he’s not a monster, of _course_ he’s not going to put impurities in his coffee) cradled comfortably in one hand. Conan settles himself down at the dining table; a glance at the clock tells him that he still has about an hour before anyone else wakes up and he starts to scan through the article.

* * *

** Rise of the Phantom Thieves **

**BuzzFeed Japan**  
**Author:** Yamaguchi Kappei  
**Uploaded:** 5 hours ago

Move aside Kaitou KID, because the Phantom Thieves of Hearts has taken centre stage in Tokyo! 

No one knows who this new group of phantom thieves are, but they are gaining fast attention and admiration from the public, especially from students, from their thieving ways. What do they steal? 

Hearts! More specifically, the wicked hearts of twisted people who may be acting and treating others poorly. 

You may have recently heard of Kamoshida Suguru, a former Olympian turned teacher who confessed to his crimes of using his position to physically and sexually abusing his students. The Phantom Thieves have claimed credit for changing his heart; prior to his public confession in front of the student body, they have sent several calling cards detailing Kamoshida’s crimes, and Kamoshida was said to have taken leave for several days after that. 

While some think that this may just be a coincidence and that the Phantom Thieves don’t exist, but others, like myself, would like to believe that there is hope: that maybe the Phantom Thieves of Hearts can help to expose the rottenness of our society and make it a better place.

They've even got a website for you to comment and leave requests! You can check out the website here!

* * *

His phone rings and Heiji lights up as he picks up the call, spinning on his chair. 

"'Sup Kudo!" 

_"Good morning to you too, Hattori,"_ Kudo replies, almost sighing. Heiji can tell he was rolling his eyes. Definitely. 

"So," he starts, "what do ya think 'bout those Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" 

_"Unlikely to be real,"_ comes the immediate answer. _"You can't steal someone's heart. They're probably just some students taking the chance to steal the spotlight before their teacher confesses his crimes."_

Heiji understands that train of thought; it's a logical conclusion that he himself had come to at first, but the more he looked into it, the odder it gets.

"At first, that's what I thought so too, but it just gets fishier." 

_"Hmm?"_ Kudo's voice turns inquisitive; that's when Heiji knows he has his attention and curiosity. He grins. 

"I know ya probably haven't got the time to research deeper into this yet, but I looked into Kamoshida's background. Turns out this dude was the king of the school; everyone loved him because he was bringin' the school so much prestige. He was ridin' on a high."

_"So the question is why did he throw all that away all of a sudden?"_

"Exactly." It didn't make sense for a man like Kamoshida, beloved by the people around him and probably committing these crimes for quite a while now, to decide to confess by himself; there has to be a trigger, something that had pushed him to do what he did.

_"Could it be that he was threatened?"_

"But with what? Kamoshida had no close relatives. He only had the school and his position as the star of the school that he seemed to value, and confessin' would mean that he has nothin' left." 

_"Ah, so that's why you think this might be related to the mental breakdown incidents."_

"Bingo! These incidents all seem to link up in that they have no motive for doing what they did." Heiji moves his chair near his bed and props up his legs, one hand wrapped around the back of his chair and the other lightly gripping onto his phone. "That's why it's so odd; it's almost as though someone is really controlling their hearts," he adds. 

_"That's,"_ Kudo pauses, deep in thought. _"That's not possible."_

"But if it is…" 

_"Then that's dangerous. There's only going to be more trouble to come."_

The both of them are silent for a moment, contemplating the possibilities of future cases and what they might imply. Heiji isn't very sure about this whole "stealing of hearts" thing, but he can't throw away the possibility either. 

_"Crap,"_ Heiji hears some commotion on Kudo's end; there is a rapid continuous chiming of the doorbell and a shuffling of feet. _"Sorry Hattori, I've got to go. Some client thinks that opening hours is at 8am and now Ran and Occhan are gonna wake up,"_ Kudo's irritation bleeds into his voice. _"Thanks for the info."_

"No problem. Treat me to lunch next time I come 'round?" 

Kudo snorts as the ringing grows more intense. _"Sure. Bye."_

"See ya." 

Kudo hangs up and Heiji is left with silence lingering in his room. He opens up his browser and is once again met with the bright black and red screen of the Phan-site.

**_Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?_ **

Maybe he's being naive or idealistic, but sometimes Heiji just wants to believe.

His finger hovers over the options.

**_Yes_ **

* * *

Conan stuffs his phone into his back pocket and scrambles to open the door; he can already hear Occhan and Ran stirring. He turns the door handle to see a lady tapping her foot idly as her finger hovers over the doorbell, ready to press it again. 

The lady looks to be in her early fourties; she gives off the air of authority, though it's somewhat ruined by her tackiness. She dons a blue jacket over her white blouse coupled with a short brown pencil skirt, her manicured fingers clutching a small leather purse. Her brown hair is swept up nearly in a small ponytail. A strong scent of perfume hits Conan's nose and he tries to school his face into a neutral expression. 

"Miss, we're not open until 10am on Sundays," Conan says just for routine and in the small possibility that the client will leave them alone so that Conan might be able to nap for a while. Unfortunately, he knows that clients who come long before or after opening hours usually aren't deterred by such meager things like "opening hours" — they have either the urgency or the money to boot. 

"Well, boy," the lady — first surprised by the appearance of a young boy but now downright condescending — smiles at Conan. "I'm here to talk to Mouri Kogoro, not you." Conan pushes back the temptation to smile back in full force as well as the urge to slam the door in her face. 

He's saved by the appearance of Kogoro, who has put on his work-appropriate shirt and pants. "Hello miss, I'm Mouri Kogoro, at your service!" Kogoro's speech is slightly slurred from waking up just five minutes prior. The client either doesn't notice this or simply deigned to comment on it. "Good, you're here. I have a case for you." 

Conan watches as she hands over a black and red card to Kogoro, the pattern looking strikingly familiar. 

"I want you to find whoever wrote this card to me." 

Conan's breath catches in his throat. Without a second thought, he snatches the card from Kogoro's hands and pulls it down. 

"H-hey! Brat!" 

The card is matte smooth, almost shiny. It is identical to the ones he saw online; the ones that Kamoshida received. On one side is the flaming red top hat, and on the other is a printed accusation, made up of scrambled letters put together from newspaper clippings.

**_Yamamura Hanako, the sinner who tramples over others without remorse. You have stolen the efforts of others to further your own advances, making your colleagues suffer under you. Thus, we have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail._ **

**_From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and heiji enters! for a bit at least. it's like 4am now but im getting my copy of p5s tmrw so! very exciting! anyways hope you guys like this chapter, we're still building up! next chapter is meatier. very nice. much excite. thank you for the kudos and the comments, reading them makes me go [wow ppl actually read my stuff] :3 OK tata see you guys next time ~


	3. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conan heads to Shujin Academy.

Conan stares at the card, mind churning with possibilities and questions. How do the Phantom Thieves send their calling cards? How do they choose their targets? After all, Kamoshida was a teacher that seemingly everyone in Shujin had adored, while the lady — presumably Yamamura — appears to be an office lady; what connection did they have? Why Yamamura, of all people? 

Are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts real?

The calling card is snatched away from him, blurring into lines of red and black as Kogoro takes it into his own hands with a hmph. He examines the card in curiosity, before turning back to the lady, who is now impatiently glaring at both Conan and Kogoro. “Miss, if you would follow me down to the office where we can discuss this further —” 

She sniffs and strides to the office door, where Kogoro opens and guides her in. A stern glare from Kogoro tells Conan that he is not welcome to barge into the office anytime soon; that’s fine, Conan thinks, and gives Kogoro a half-hearted pout as he closes the office door in front of him. After all, he has other tricks up his sleeve.

Conan rushes back to his room and grabs a small round bug from his bag along with his glasses. Agasa’s inventions never fail to come in handy. He quickly and silently heads back to the office door and slides the bug through the slit at the bottom of the door, darting back up the stairs as he activates his glasses to listen in to the conversation. 

_“Thank you for coming, Yamamura-san, I apologise for not being at the office, since it doesn’t actually open until ten —”_

_“Yes, yes. We are here now, so it does not matter. You_ are _going to help me track down these awful thieves, right?”_ Yamamura’s tone is impatient and demanding.

“Conan-kun?” Ran stands outside her bedroom and blearily looks at Conan, still in her pyjamas as she rubs at her eyes. “Is it another client who decided to come before opening hours?”

_“Yes, I will try my best, of course. Can you tell me more about these ‘Phantom Thieves of Hearts’?”_

“Yeah,” Conan fakes a yawn. “Is it okay if I go back to sleep? Just for a short while?” He injects a bit more seven-year-old-really-needs-a-nap vibes into his voice. He needs to take down notes on this; hopefully, the old man will be asking the right questions.

Ran takes a look at the clock — only a little past 8 — and nods. “Sure, but not for too long. I’ll wake you in an hour or so, okay? I’m gonna make some breakfast since I don’t think I can fall back asleep after that noise.” She frowns slightly at this.

_“What, so you haven’t heard of them?”_ Yamamura snorts. _“They’re some group claiming that they’re changing the hearts of those who are unjust and distorted. They’ve taken credit for that case where that Shujin teacher confessed to abusing his students.”_ Here, he hears a shifting of fabric and a pause. 

“Okay, thank you Ran-neechan!” Conan hurries back to the safety and silence of his room, where he digs out his Conan phone, opens the notes application and brings it along with him to his futon. He slides into his futon and shifts himself such that his back is facing the door; that way, he has enough time to react and pretend he’s sleeping in case anyone enters. 

_“Yamamura-san, I have to ask… Are these accusations true, then?”_ Conan can tell that Kogoro is somewhat hesitant to ask this of a client; from what he remembers of the calling card, the accusations are not light. Stealing the efforts of others and making her colleagues suffer under her implies that she is abusing her position and power within the workplace.

_“Of course not!”_ Yamamura sounds horrified and offended at this question. _“As a good manager, I am simply directing my staff to do the things that they_ should _be doing.”_ Despite her words, Conan somehow feels that there is a twinge of pleasure inserted in that last statement.

There is another pause as Kogoro regards this. Yamamura must be really impatient, as she speaks up once again. _“Can you find them or not? I need them to take this back; my promotion is coming up soon and I_ cannot _have this in my way.”_

_Oh,_ Conan thinks, _that’s why she wants the Phantom Thieves of Hearts gone._

_“This is a threat to you either way, so I will try my best.”_

As the conversation goes on, Conan pulls up the map application and plans for tomorrow. In the search bar, he types in “Shujin Academy”.

Shujin Academy, where the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were born.

* * *

Aoyama-Itchome is a relatively quiet neighbourhood; mostly filled with office buildings and residential areas. It’s almost odd that Shujin Academy, a prep school that most would consider elite, has planted itself in such an arguably boring place; one would expect it to be in Shibuya or Shinjuku, where teenagers would frequent more. Conan can’t find it in himself to complain though — it only took him a few train stops from Teitan Elementary to reach Shujin Academy, since they are all located in the Minato Ward. 

As Conan follows the map on his phone to reach the school and turns a corner, he notices a steady stream of students wearing black blazers with Shujin’s emblem leaving, chattering in the excitement of dismissal. 

_Bingo,_ he thinks, _I’ve managed to catch the dismissal crowd._

The first on his list of people to interview are the volleyball club members; hopefully, they could give him some insight into why Kamoshida, specifically, had been targeted, and possibly how he was made to confess. 

He leans on a wall opposite the school gates, waiting and watching for any student in their gym clothes or appears to be physically injured; he has read enough articles to know that the impact and physical abuse done to the students were not light.

_Ah,_ Conan realises belatedly as he watches the crowds of students go by, _the volleyball team probably would not even be having practice because of the scandal, so they wouldn’t be in gym clothes._ He probably has to ask someone to redirect him to a volleyball club member. _Now, who to ask?_

A few metres away from him, a Shujin student with blonde pigtails stands idly, occasionally glancing up to observe the student crowd before looking at her phone again. Waiting for her friends, probably. She looks somewhat familiar to Conan, but he can’t seem to put his finger on it.

Conan approaches the blonde student, closing the distance between them. “Hello, onee-san!”

The student peers down at him curiously, before a gentle smile appears on her face. “Hello, kid. What is it?”

Conan puts on his brightest kiddy face. “I’m Edogawa Conan and I’m writing an article for my school assignment about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts! Can I ask you a few questions?”

Her expression turns startled for a quick moment, shifting to joy, before settling on a more neutral expression. ( _How odd,_ Conan notes. _It’s almost as though she didn’t want to show what she feels about the Phantom Thieves._ ) “Sure! I’ve got some time. I’m Takamaki Ann, a student of Shujin Academy.”

“The model?” Conan blurts out in surprise. He’s heard Haibara talk about Takamaki before, and has seen her on some of the covers of those fashion magazines that Haibara loves to read.

Takamaki beams, happy to be recognised. Her smile is genuine and bright. “Yeah!”

“My friend has talked about you before. She really likes your work,” Conan says.

“Do tell her I said thank you!” Takamaki hums, pleased.

“I will! Now, to our first question: what do you think about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?” This one is a softball question to get the ball rolling, and also one to gauge how the students, in general, might be feeling about the incident. 

Takamaki puts a finger to her chin, considering. “Well, I think that whatever they’re doing, I hope they keep doing it. At least they’re doing something, which is a far cry from what many adults are not doing anything.” Anger seeps into her voice. “Kamoshida was an absolute bast— terrible human being,” she catches herself from cursing in front of Conan, momentarily carried away. “I’m just glad that his crimes have come to light and that he can pay for them.”

Conan nods in agreement. Reading about those crimes was not an easy task; it’s disgusting how the adults in charge of the situation turned a blind eye from Kamoshida, purely because he was bringing pride and good results to the school via his volleyball coaching and his short stint as an Olympian medalist.

“Next question: do you think the Phantom Thieves are real and if so, how do you think they’re stealing hearts?”

“Of course they’re real!” Takamaki exclaims. She looks away sheepishly at her own outburst as students near them glance over. “I mean, who else could have plastered those calling cards all over the notice boards?” 

“Did you see the cards for yourself?”

“Yeah! They were quite impressive. As for how they’re stealing hearts…” Takamaki appears deep in thought. “Maybe it’s magic.” The corners of her lips turn up slightly, as though thinking of an inside joke.

“Ann! Oi!” 

Takamaki and Conan turn to the source of the voice: a young blonde male student who seems to have a very loose view on how the school uniform should be worn, waving at Takamaki beside the school gate. “We gotta go!” 

Another student with glasses and a bedhead of curly hair stands beside him, one hand tucked comfortably in his pocket. He gives the duo a carefree wave.

“Coming!” Takamaki calls back. She scrambles to pull out something from her bag and lets out a triumphant “ah hah!” as she takes out a familiar-looking black and red card. “I grabbed some cards from the board before they were taken down,” she says, handing the calling card to Conan. “Maybe this can help get extra marks for your assignment,” she winks. 

Conan almost could not believe his luck; he managed to get his hands on an actual copy of a calling card that he could take back and examine in detail. 

“Thank you so much, Takamaki-san!” Conan calls out to Takamaki’s retreating back, and she waves back in response, going along with her group of friends. Distracted with the card in his hands, Conan doesn’t notice how the student in the glasses gazes at him for just a moment longer before turning away. 

The calling card is identical to the ones he saw online, so there is no doubt that this is the real thing. Conan just can’t help but observe one thing. 

For a card that had been forcefully stapled onto the school notice board, it is surprisingly clean and hole-free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun in that. well. i did research on where all the locations would be and whether it would be far for conan to travel. imagine my reaction when i found out that shujin and beika were basically in the same ward AND they're all close to shibuya and shinjuku. very good for me. not good for heiji, who's all the way in osaka, but very good for me and everyone in beika. :) anyways hope you guys liked this chapter nyeheheh i really enjoy reading all your comments!! thank you guys for the comments and the kudos and the bookmarks and the subscriptions <3


End file.
